Routing or filing case.



A. L. LYND ROUTING 0R FILIN FILED NOV.22, l9

APPLICATION 1,276,781 n. Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

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a n uentoz im 1M A. L. LYNDS.

ROUTING 0R FILING CASE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.22, 1912.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918,

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r I I l I I ll I I l l I I ll A. L. LYNDS.

ROUTING 0R FILING CASE. APPLICATION FILED Nov.22. 19w.

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Patented Aug. 27, 19l&

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ALVA L. LYNDS, or AKRON, onro.

' v ROUTING OR FILING CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

Application filed November 22, 1917. Serial No. 203,394.

in Routing or Filing Cases, of which the' following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in routing or filing cabinets used for the temporary classification of such articles as letters and mail matter and while primarily designed for this purpose its use is not thereby limited. The objects of the invention are to provide a case or cabinet suitably supported and adjustable as to height embodying a plurality of sectional units which are superposed one upon another so that the vertical positions of the units can be changed at will and altered to suit there'- quirements of the particular use to which it is put. The invention further contemplates providing removable and detachable partitions within each sectional unit so constructed as to cooperate with the unit and be removable at will easily and quickly so as to change or alter the lateral dimensions of the various compartments of the case when deslred. Furthermore, the invention contemplates new and improved means for connecting the various sectional units together when p in their assembled relation and also includes means for limiting the transverse depth of the various compartments in the case if the same is desired to limit the depth of insertion of the matter placed in each compartment. p

With the foregoing and other ob]ects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts constituting the invention to be hereinafter specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the matter hereinafter claimed.

In: the drawings in which similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the difl'erent drawings, v Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the present invention.

Fig. 4; is a sectional view of one unit and a portion of another showing the interlocking means employed for connecting two together.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of one of the units.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the under face of a portion of the lower wall of one of the units.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view with portions broken away of one-of the units with the dividing partitions in position therein.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the lower end of one of the legs of the supporting table, and

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a device used for shortening or limiting the depth of the various compartments or pigeon-holes in each unit.

The device which forms the primary subject matter of the present invention is supported upon a table as is customary in such cases and the table which is preferably employed in connection with this device emslide 3 for a drawer 4 as is usual. Secured to one end ofthe members 2 is a routing arm 5. The top 1 is supported by legs 6 positioned at the corners of the table and as all the legs are similar a description of one is believed tobe suflicient for the understanding, of them all, and reference is dirooted to Fig. 8. Each leg embodies a V- shaped strip preferably of sheet metal provided near the lower end with apertures for a purpose to be later described. Arranged to cooperate with the lower end of each leg is a V-shaped extension 7 provided with two series of openings 8 arranged when the extension is shifted to register with the apertures in the lower end of the leg 6. The extension 7 is secured to the leg 6 by holding means such as bolts 9. By this provision the vertical height of the table top 1 may be altered to accommodate the table to persons of different heights so that the person using the device may use the same to the best advantage, that is to say, in case of a person of short stature the table top will be lowered and in case of a tall person the table will be raised through the medium of the extensions 7.

The case which forms-the primary subject matter of the present invention embodies a plurality of units and as all of the units are similar and are superposed one upon another it is believed that a description of one will be sufficient for them all.

It is contemplated that the entire case will be formed of pressed sheet metal although the invention is not limited to the use of this material. Each unit comprises a lower wall 10, end walls 11 and a rear wall 12. In practice the end and rear walls will preferably be formed integral being bent at the corners to form three sides of an elongated parallelogram. The lower wall which is usually brazed Or soldered to the end walls and the rear walls is provided with a downwardly inclined front face 13 and with an upturned flange 14 for strengthening purposes. This lower wall 10 is positioned a short distance above the lower edges of the end and side walls. Extending along the front marginal portion of the lower wall 10 is a series of transversely-extending separated slots 15 and in alinement with said slots and positioned rearwardly therefrom is a second series of separated V-shaped slots 16 the members of the series of slots 15 being in alinement transversely with the'respective members of the series 16. Furthermore, rearwardly of the series of slots 16 is a series of separated longitudinally-extending slots 17. On the end members 11 below the lower wall 10 are clips 18, the clips on the opposite ends of the section being in alinement with each other and both equidistant from the wall-12. Secured by brazing or otherwise to the under face of the wall 1 is a trough-shaped locking member 19 provided along one face with a downwardly turned flange 20 and on the oppositelside with an L-shaped flange 21. This member 19 extends in parallelism with respect to the front edge 13 of the lower wall 10. The upper face of the rear wall 12 is provided with an inset longitudinally-extending integral bead 22 formed by inbending the metal at 23 and then laterally at 24 and thence downwardly at 25 to form the trough-shaped bead 22. Extending between the upper portions of the end members 11 is a wide shallow troughshaped member 26 having an inverted U- shaped flange 27 along one side and a similar flange 28 along the opposite side. The lower wall of the member 26 and the inner wall of the flange 28 are provided with a series of V-shaped notches 29 disposed in vertical alinement with respect to the slots 15 and 16 in the lower wall 10 of the unit. The transverse diameter of the troughshaped member 26 is such as to permit the insertion therein of the flanges 20 and 21 of the member 10 on the lower wall of the next superposed unit so that the flanges 20 and 21 interlock between the flanges 28 and 27 respectively and the downwardlyextending portion 30 of the rear wall 12 1s arranged to seat on the offset portion 23 of the wall 12 of the unit on which it is seated and in this manner the entire case composed of any number of sectional units may be built up. When so built up a cover 31 is provided with downturned marginal flanges which telescope when the upper section is placed thereon.

Arranged to cooperate with the foregoing structure are a plurality of partitions all of which are similar and hence a description of one is believed to be suflicient for the understanding of them all. Reference is now directed to Fig. 4 wherein is best shown one of the partitions employed. Each partition embodies a sheet 32 of suitable size desired for the compartment and usually provided with a front edge hollowed out at 33 to render access to the contents of the compartment easier and on the upper edge of the partition is an upwardly-projecting lug 34 and on the loweredge downwardly-extending lugs 35 and 36 the latter provided in its rear face with a notch 37 for a purpose to be later described. These lugs 34, 35 and 36 are so positioned that when the partltion is seated, the lug 34 will seat in one of the slots 29, the lug 35 in one of the slots 15, and the lug 36 the rear face of which forms a book by reason of the notch 37 will engage in one of the V-shaped slots 16. It will be noted that the front portion of the slots 16 are larger than the rear portions and n order to seat or position one of the part1- tions .and the lug 35 inserted in one slot 15 and the lug 36 in the larger corresponding portion of the alined slot 16, with the notch engaging the wall 10.. The positioning of the lugs-35 and 36 in their respective slots 15 and 16 is permitted due to the fact that the slots 29 in the member 26 extend upwardly through the "vertical wall of the flange 28 thereby allowing a certaln amount of vertical movement to permit this operation and when in position the partitions are held against lateral withdrawal by the engagement of the slots 35 and 36 in their places and also against transverse movement by all of the slots.

In case-it is desired to limit the depth of each compartment or several compartments to prevent the too deep insertion therein of matter such as short letters for instance, I provide a removable partition shown best in Fig. 9 which embodies a plate 38 preferably of sheet metal provided with a rounded bead 39 at its upper edge to furnish a handle for manipulatmg the same and provided at the ends with upstandin lugs 40 and along the lower edge with spending lugs '41. This removable partition is positioned by lnserting the lugs 41 in suitable slots 17 in the lower wall 10 of a section and the upstanding lugs 40 between the jaws of the that compartments for names commencin with certain letters require a wider an 7 larger space than do'the spaces for the matter bearing names commencing with other letters and hence the utility of thejdevice becomes at once apparent, permitting the operator or user of the device to adjust the same to suit every exigency and requirement of the workfor which it isintended for instance, in certain localities the names of persons receiving mail beginning with the letter B will predominate greatly over .those of the names commencing with the letter A and hence a wider space can be provided for the mail matter addressed to persons whose names begm with-the letter B, and so on. While it is contemplated that the entire device is to be made of pressed sheet metal the invention is not thereby limited as it can of course, be made of wood or other suitable material.

I claim:

. 1. The combination with a sectional unit for use in a routing or filing case, comprising a lower, rear. and end walls, a coupling member extending between the upper portions of said end walls and constituting a socket, said coupling member provided with a series of spaced apart slots, a coupling member secured to the under face of the lower wall and adapted to constitute a rib or' ridge arranged to be inserted in the socket coupling member of thenext lower unit, the lower wall of each unit vprovided with two series of slots the members of each of which are spaced from each other and the members of the two series 'in respective transverse alinement and in vertical alinement with the slots in the socket forming a lower, rear and end walls, a'socket forming coupling member at the top of each unit, and a partition comprising asheet of suitable material arranged between said lower wall and said upper coupling member and provided with appropriately disposed projecting lugs each of which is arranged to seat in one of the slots in each mentioned series.

2. The combination with a sectional unit for use in a routing or filing. case, comprising coupling member extending between the up per portions of said end walls and provided with a series of spaced transverse slots, the under face of the lower wall provided with a projecting rib' constituting a coupling member adapted to seat in the coupling member of the next lower unit, said lower wall provided with two series of slots, the members of each of which are spaced from each other and the members of the two series in transverse alinement, and a partition comprising a sheet of suitable material ar-.

ranged between said lower wall and said socket forming coupling member and pro vided with an upwardly-extending lug arpli-ng member of-the next lower unit, said I lower wall provided with two series of slots, the members of each of which are spaced from each other and the members of the two series in transverse alinement, and a parti tion comprising a sheet of suitable material arranged between said lower wall and said socket forming coupling member and provided -with an upwardly-extending lug arranged to seat in the slot in said coupling member and two downwardly-disposed lugs arranged to seat in the alined slots in two series in said lower member, the rear lug at the lower portion of said partition provided.

with a notch arranged to interlock with and receive the lower wall of said unit.

4:. The combination with a sectional unit for use in a routing or filing case, comprising lower, rear and end walls, a coupling member extending between the upper portions of said end walls and constituting a socket, a coupling member secured to theunder face of the lower wall of said unit and adapted to be received in the socket forming coupling member of .the next lower unit, said lower wall provided with two series of slots the members of which are spaced from each other and the members of the two series in respective transverse alinement, said lower wall further provided with a longitudinallyextending series of spaced slots positioned rearwardly from the mentioned series of slots, the clips mounted on the inner faces of the end walls below said lower wall, a partition comprising a sheet of suitable material arranged between said lower wall and said upper coupling member and provided with appropriately-disposed projecting lugs each of which is arranged to seat in one of the slots in each mentioned transverse series and a second longitudinally-positioned partition mounted in said longitudinal slots and en- 1 gaging said clips in the end walls for limiting the depth of the compartments bounded by said first mentioned partitions.

In testimony whereof I have'hereunto set my hand.

I ALVA. L, LYNDS. 

